Search - Demons & Wizards :: Touched By the Crimson King (Bonus CD)

A long time coming

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 06/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After what seemed like an incredibly long wait, Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kurisch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer finally unleashed another Demons & Wizards album in 2005.Was it worth the wait, and did it live up to the standard set by the duo's incredible self-titled album? Read on...



Demons & Wizards has always represented the best elements of both Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, bringing together the blazing guitar riffs of the former and the fantasy elements and signature vocal style of the latter. At the same time, the songwriting excesses that both Schaffer and Kurisch indulge in with their respective bands are held in check here. To be sure, the songs on this album have that epic power metal quality, but they all clock in around 4-5 minutes. Schaffer's riffs are incredible as always, and Kurisch's vocals are amazing as well. When you add the heavy emphasis on fantasy fiction (Stephen King's Dark Tower saga is a central theme), the result is an album that sounds like a cross between early (translation: good) Metallica and Uriah Heep. The "proper" album closes with a powerful rendition of Led Zeppelin's classic metal anthem "Immigrants Song", which is worth the price of admission all by itself. These guys were born to cover this song!



On some levels, Touched by the Crimson King doesn't quite live up to expectations, but I think that's perfectly reasonable given the 5 year wait since the first Demons & Wizards album was released. First impressions count for a lot, and at first glance Touched by the Crimson King doesn't have the same immediate impact that the first Demons & Wizards album did. It's the kind of album that takes a few spins to really sink in, at which point you'll realize that Touched by the Crimson King is another high quality power metal album from a pair of extremely talented musicians who work very well together.



NOTE: The Special Edition version of Touched by the Crimson King features four bonus tracks. The alternate versions of Wicked Witch and Beneath the Waves don't really add much, but the songs Lunar Lament and Spatial Architects are as good as any other song on the album, and are well worth checking out.

"

Great pick-up

L. H. Singletary | Duluth, GA USA | 08/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording is surprisingly good. Even if you have some gray hair on your head, and used to listen to Judas Priest too loudly as you cruised campus [well, especially if you loved Judas Priest], you'll like this album. Three songs stand out:

Cut 6, Love's Tragedy Asunder, will have you "playing the steering wheel" unless you no longer have a pulse.

Cut 7, Wicked Witch, is not just a beautifully arranged song. It is also funny and clever as hell. Who else would have thought to write a completely sympathetic song about one of moviedom's most vile characters? Know what? She WAS sympathetic!

Cut 9, Down Where I Am, is the best of the bunch, with wonderful D&W schizophrenia as acoustic leads inexorably to heavy metal.



Well done, guys. This album is a romp. I can not wait for the next one."